Tekkonkinkreet (Blu-Ray)

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All Rise...

Judge Ryan Keefer is willing to buy a net gun for personal use. We're not sure how this relates to an anime film, but everyone has their own impulse buys.

Editor's Note

Our review of Tekkonkinkreet,
published October 10th, 2007, is also available.

The Charge

An American transplant living in Japan brings a unique contribution to the
anime genre.

Opening Statement

Among the other films that Sony has been releasing in the Blu-ray catalog
include an incrementally growing handful of titles from the anime genre. And
Tekkonkinkreet is another one of those titles. Is it worth cheery women
and mystical animals that the genre seems to be noted for?

Facts of the Case

Anthony Weintraub adapted the Manga "Black & White" into a
screenplay that Michael Arias (The
Animatrix) directed. In the film, Black and White isn't a style choice, it's
a couple of kids named Black and White who are the de facto guardians of
Treasure Town. Things get hairy when some criminal masterminds come to town and
try to transform its idyllic setting into something a little more down and
dirty, money wise, taste wise and other wise.

The Evidence

I said it before in Paprika and I'll say
it again, anime continues to be a tough film genre for me to get into. Whether
it's the overall animation style or the seizure inducing techno music, things
just don't really do it for me. Am I used to the overall American animation
style on The Simpsons after so many years? Sure, I'd cop to that, but I'm
starting to warm up to anime a little bit, but I'm not going to do any
independent learning in the near future.

At least for Tekkonkinkreet, what it has going for it in my mind is
what's kept me away from similar films. The animation appears to be a mix of
hand drawn footage combined with the gentle hand of a computer on some of the
tougher graphic sequences or scenes that would be tough even in live action
films, like winding, 360 degree shots that go through Treasure Town and make you
feel like you're one of the birds. It's really good stuff. That technique helps
the viewer get into the minds of Black and White, and lets them escape with the
kids. If there was something that I wasn't too thrilled about, it's that it was
TOO anime, for lack of a better phrase. The storyline was fine, but its elements
seemed to distract from a decent film that could have been made better if there
wasn't so many floating ninjas or samurais flying around. That last part might
have been made up on my part.

For what it's worth, the 2.35:1 MPEG-4 encoded presentation gives the film
an added appreciation. With my limited anime experience, this Blu-ray version
possesses some vivid color and even a little bit of depth in the image, and
blacks look good without a lot of compression artifacts. The PCM soundtrack is
surprisingly weak though, as dialogue is existent but barely audible at times
and there's no real surround effecting or subwoofer activity to speak of. It's
moderately disappointing.

The extras on this disc appear to be duplicates from the standard definition
version. A commentary with Arias, Weintraub and sound designer Mitch Osias is
the first thing on the disc. The trio is very soft spoken though they bring
quite a bit of information with them, like Osias' ideas for capturing some of
the sound used in the film, Weintraub's ideas for the stories and some of the
shot breakdowns of the film, and any challenges during animation and the
production itself. Fans of the film will definitely benefit from listening to
the track. From there, you've got a ten minute interview with Arias and the
British duo Plaid, who talk about what they wanted to accomplish in the film's
soundtrack. The questions are barely audible and use Japanese subtitles, but you
can get a good idea of what was asked. A production diary with Arias is the only
other piece on the disc, filmed presumably for a Japanese show of some sort.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

If there's top notch talent out there willing to write a convincing story,
using anime to help tell it and illustrate the reasons for it being so beloved
and adored, they'd probably rack up a ton of cash. For the novice, this film is
a tough thing to get into and you should probably look elsewhere before taking
on material like this.

Closing Statement

Tekkonkinkreet blends some more conventional, even American-style
animation with some traditional characters and storylines in Japanese Manga and
makes for a semi-palatable and entertaining experience. Fans of the film will
like how this looks on video if they already have the standard definition disc,
and if you like anime, that might be enough to upgrade.

The Verdict

The filmmakers are not guilty for the crimes. Move on to the next case.